Help Desk In Technical Support Information Technology Essay

We hear about the number of terms a day with no Known, such as differences between term (technical support), which means providing a range of services to users both for computer systems or software used and to the continued operation of daily work. There is another term which is (to support the beneficiary), which is represented in user assistance in solving problems and answer questions, through the communication on the Internet. There is a term and (help desk)and be a point of contact between the demands of users, computers and provide a solution to that problem by converting the problem to a specialist earlier, ill-related to systems of the computer, the software used, the network or the problem of solid parts inside the computer. But with the passage of time and many names melted differences between all the preceding terms to be under the name of one the most comprehensive and largest, named (Support Centre) and also called by some the name of the employee’s service.

More and more help desks are using software that integrates a number of these features. These programs. For example, can integrate a sophisticated management program (such as a program that is able to log, track-and route calls) whit an asset management program (this able to display-information about the user’s hardware and so-are configuration) and a diagnostic program (that is able to take control of the user’s computer to diagnose problems. “

“(the same previous comment )A major component of a problem management system is computer telephony. The term computer telephony describes tools that combine telephone and computer technology into one System. This technology makes it possible to access information about the user who has called that is stored in a computer database. For example, when a user phones the help desk, the support specialist’s computer screen displays information about the user’s hardware and software configuration, recent upgrades, and prior problems. This much more efficient than asking the user questions to elicit the same information.” [Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

“Telephone technologies are used to route calls, prioritize calls, and we call a business and hear recorded message. Most of us encounter similar systems every such as “press l for sales; press 2 for customer services; press 3 for warranty questions.” The system using information that has been input via the telephone keypad. To route the call to a particular department. A help desk application works much the same way. Same telephone systems Allow users to enter data using the telephone keypad and receive a prerecorded response based on the input.” [Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

Support specialists use diagnostic tools to identify the source of a user’s problem. One popular diagnostic tool allows support specialists to gain access to a computer that is at a remote location. Without ever going to the user’s desk, a support specialist can view the desktop and control the activity of user’s PC. Commands entered a via the support special list’s mouse and keyboard are implemented on the remote PC.

Knowledge bases Can be used to gener2te solutions to user problems Support specialists search knowledge base for problems similar to the one reported by the user. If similar problem has been reported in he Past, its solution will be stored in the knowledgebase. When users experience problems, a knowledge base is one of the first places to look for a solution.

Is the most important and measurable Help Desk feature. Problem management should include: problem logging; problem identification; call assignments; tracking problems to resolution; alerting personnel if a call is taking too long; elevating a call’s status to a higher priority; and problem diagnosis. One particularly useful feature is the ability to simultaneously track issues handled by your internal support team as well as issues escalated to external third party support partners. With this feature you can provide a single point of contact and can ensure that you’re meeting your customers’ expectations and your support partners are also living up to their agreements with you. A good problem manager, however, is more than the sum of its parts. What’s most important is how all the Help Desk functions work together and how they are presented to the user. Is the interface intuitive, graphical and easy-to-use? Is the information presented in a logical way? Can the user click on an item (caller name, hardware item, etc.) and see multiple levels of detail? Can the product be configured easily to accommodate different call-resolution processes?

2. Asset Management

Asset management is important for two reasons. First, it allows Help Desk personnel to solve problems by providing accurate, up-to-date information on the caller’s environment. Second, it serves as a library of information about your organization’s asset base. According to Char La Bounty, Director of Membership Services for the Help Desk Institute, “Often, a Help Desk product with good asset management pays for itself simply by putting a real dollar value on a company’s current inventory of computer hardware, software and networking possessions.” Asset management looks at such items as hardware and software configurations, software licenses, LANs and LAN addresses, and warranties. A good asset management feature should help organizations:

– collect asset information with minimal effort (perhaps by using automated data collection software, for example Net Census TM from Tally Systems Corporation).

-minimize the number of unnecessary purchased software licenses.

-minimize the number of unnecessary purchased software licenses.

– enforce equipment policies regarding approved vendors, configurations, software revisions, suppliers, etc.

-maintain equipment warranties.

-schedule maintenance and upgrades Good asset management allows companies to make vital decisions based on accurate information about their possessions, for example, who’s using the assets and how are they being used. Answers to key questions will help provide important details about your organization’s future asset planning.

For example, how many PCs are there in the company? With what CPUs? What memory? Disk capacity? What applications are they running and at what revision levels? What warranties are scheduled to expire and when? How many users are connected to the server? All this information has an immediate, dramatic influence on your organization, and can easily become an invaluable resource for future asset planning.

3. Knowledge Capture

Often overlooked, knowledge capture is the “secret weapon” that makes the difference between a system that merely logs calls and one that really leverages the skills of the people who use it. It’s also an area that pays big dividends with little up-front investment in user training and problem assessment. “You’d be surprised,” says Clark, “how many Help Desks finish a successful call just by writing the words ‘problem solved’ in the call comments section. That isn’t much help for the next person facing the same problem.” When using Data watch’s Visual| Help Desk software, support technicians are prompted to add their resolution to the knowledgebase, which then gets sent for approval before it is actually submitted. This way, technicians are urged to describe complete fixes in their resolution, and help desk management has the final say on which items will be most useful in the future. The next time a user calls up and identifies the same problem, the technician will have this resolution at their fingertips in order to resolve the issue immediately.

Help Desk software should encourage self-learning by prompting users for solution-type information after the problem is resolved. This way the solution is captured for others who might encounter a similar problem in the future. “You can’t give everyone enough training in Excel and Outlook to achieve a 24-hour, 75% fix rate,” Clark says. “Nor can most companies afford to hire enough specialized talent. Self-learning allows lower-skilled people to do the jobs of their higher skilled paid colleagues.” Knowledge capture also gives Help Desk staff the ammunition they need to fix bigger problems.

For example, is there an overall pattern of failure by hardware type, software, department, service provider, or customer? Does the user who complains the loudest have a legitimate point? Is the Help Desk really overworked?

2.5.1 Measuring help desk performance

The performance of the help desk is measured and evaluated on a regular basis. To determine the effectiveness of the help desk, management analyzes the efficiency of the help desk itself and the satisfaction levels of customers.

Objective Measures

Raw data obtained from problem management programs are used to provide an objective snapshot of help desk performance. Metrics are quantitative measures of the efficiency of the help desk. Examples of commonly used metrics include

– Average length of an incoming call

– Average time a call is in the queue before it is picked up – Number of calls abandoned before being picked up – Percent of problems resolved on first contact – Average time until problem is resolved – Percent of cases still open beyond a set period of time

Using these types of data, management can plan and allocate help desk resources. For example, if reports indicate that the highest volumes of calls are received between 7 and 9 A.M., additional staff can be assigned to that time slot. If a substantial number of users are reporting problems with a particular program, management can assign help desk personnel to investigate and correct the source of the problems. Key measures such as the average time until a problem is resolved and the percent of problems resolved on the first contact are very useful in evaluating the current operation of the help desk. These measures can also be used to compare performance to other help desks, or to industry best practices.

Customer Satisfaction

“Metrics alone provide an incomplete picture of the effectiveness of the help desk, since they do not take customer satisfaction into account. Customer satisfaction ratings indicate end users’ perception of the help des value. This satisfaction cannot be fully measured by analyzing statistics from a call management database. To gain an understanding of the customer’s perception of service quality, companies may need to use customer satisfaction surveys or focus groups.

Today, when computer problems occur, the effect is felt throughout the organization. Both productivity and profits are at risk. Most companies acknowledge their dependence on technology and the resulting surge in the demand for technical support. The pressure to resolve problem quickly has dramatically increased. System problems are no longer an inconvenience to a few; they are now a costly time-out from conducting business. More than ever before, this is an exciting time to be pursuing a technical support career.”

[Introduction to help desk concepts and skills, 07]

2.5.2 Help Desk Features

Easy to Learn – Graphical Interface

Important ‘Trouble Ticket’ Information cannot be overlooked

Staff Scheduling

Database for Client & Operator Details

Client Request and Self Help

Help Request Prioritization

Performance Reports

Password Logon Provides System Security

Customization of Help Desk Pro is Possible

– Easy to Learn – Graphical Interface

The Help Desk features an intuitive, easy to use, graphical tabbed interface. Administrators, Technicians, and Clients need only application setup to utilize the application. And many systems need a steep learning curve but Help Desk customer service trouble ticket system is intuitive and the well designed screen layouts make the system easy for operators to both learn to use and to interface with on a day to day basis – little, if any, training is required. An on screen ‘help’ system can be called up at any time.

– Important ‘Trouble Ticket’ Priority in performance Priority in performance (tickets for the problem) should contain both the basic data for the client, such as’ name of the client, the problem, and the date of receipt of the problem, and time of the call through the call recording so they can see the solution and also know the problems unresolved in the form of a report and on, weekly or duration time to get to know the functioning of the receiving problems.

– Staff Scheduling Schedule-tables, which can be used in the order and scheduling of events such as tasks, backup, repair, and upgrades that, are on the operating systems or applications.

– Database for Client & Operator Details There should be detailed data on the customer’s name, address, e-mail address and telephone numbers are displayed in all the previous data also for the client in the form of a report and also if the client has a history of calls should immediately view the details of this call without reference to another screen that is in the same screen contact and provide details in an easy to reach.

– Client Request and Self Help

Must be among clients and easy to use interface and simple to make requests and communications, and also offer all the updates that are made to the previous client requests. Determines the end-user what type of assistance needed and to seek help updates dynamically and quickly to display is as easy to have to be custom fields, in the form of text boxes, pop-up menus and radio buttons or check boxes, the type of problem that he had identified the client (end user). Is it possible for the operator to solve the problem ‘unsolved’ and respond to call, must change the situation call (design) to be listed any of these ‘unresolved calls in this operator is not resolved to stand in queues to remember on the spot’ at any time. Agent can ‘see’ call to another operator or supervisor if they feel unable to deal with it themselves after being the first time on the call.

– Help Request Prioritization to determine which is set technician must apply a new ticket Assistance Office program that uses intelligent business logic. Using a combination of many functions, the timetable and specific skills to work, you can always get the desired progress and appropriate for this task. There are separate entities within the institution is managed centrally, the location of the group and to allow different departments to track requests from the client. It can also be allocated to the pool jobs group technique is the other separately?

– Extensive Reports Quickly Available (Performance Reports) Depends on getting the service to connect with end user in same time and finish work. Aided and use of appropriate tools that assist the director of the Office of help to identify how to perform the work and they need extra help or not, and what kinds of problems that cause the most problems.

– Password Logon Provides System Security Both users and technical support team of help desk can login to the system through the control password. There are also different levels of ‘privilege’ system allows administrators to get more control, and different levels of privilege for each user and another.

– Customization of Help Desk Pro is Possible Users can customize many areas of data entry to suit particular jobs; you can adapt the priorities of the call, call groups, and fields that are commensurate with the asset classification of the type of your business. Almost no limit to further customization can be done to adapt your operating system (fees apply for individual customization).